Pin basket for computing machines



Sept. 12, 1933. w, w LASKER 1,926,203

PIN BASKET FOR COMPUTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 11, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mew BYQm -m.

ATTORNEY Sept. 12,1933. w. w. LASKER PIN BASKET FOR COMPUTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 11, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W M a; @MWQL ATTOR NEY Patented Sept 12, 1933 UNITED, STATES PIN BASKET FOR COMPUTING MACHINES William W. Lasker, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., New York N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 11, 1928. Serial No. 311,858 11 Claims. (01. 235-58) This invention relates to pin baskets for adding and tabulating' machines and is herein shown and described in connection with a tabulating machine of the type shown in Letters Patents of the United States of H. D. Penney, #1,317,454, granted Sept. 30, 1919, and J. Powers, #1,236,481, granted Aug. 14, 1917.

The object ofthis invention, generally, is the construction of a pin basket which is simple in design, easy of manufacture and assembly, and smaller in cost of production.

One object is the construction of a pin basket assembly in which the pins are held in position in the basket against accidental removal when the basket is inverted.

Another object is the provision of a lever carrying a zero stop together with means for rocking the lever to withdraw the zero stop upon setting up any one of the pins in the correspond ing row of pins.

Another object is the provision of a zero stop restoring spring located to operate in line with the movement of the zero stop and in a plane parallel with the pin stops of the corresponding row to restore any set-up pin simultaneously with the restoration of the zero stop.

Another object is the provision of means for positively restoring any pins in set-up position upon restoration of the zero stop.

Another object is the provision of a zero stop which is moved into non-functioning position in the same direction as the active means moving it.

Another object is the provision of means for locking any lower value pin by the next higher value pin against removal from the pin basket.

Another object is the provision of means for depressing the zero stop by .operation of a nine stop operable under control of a nine perforation or from any lower value stop operable under control of a corresponding perforation.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means whereby the zero stop carrying member when assembled in position constitutes a retaining means for all of the pins 'in the corresponding row of pins.

Other objects will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation of a machine in which-the pin basket may be used,

Figure 2 is a front view of the pin basket,

Figure 3 is a top view partly in section of the pin basket frame,

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the pin basket showing the actuator retained in zero position by the zero stop, and

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the zero stop depressed by operation of the six pin and the actuator arrested by the six pin.

While this invention has been shown in con nection with a perforation controlled tabulating machine, it is to be. understood that it is useful in any type of machine in which there are differential actuators to be controlled by a pin basket construction whether the pin basket is fixedly mounted or movably mounted as in the usual so-ca'lled Ten-Key machines.

The adding mechanism of the tabulating machine is shown in the home position and the analyzing mechanism is shown in its lowermost position ready to receive a card for analyzing.

This position is approximately 45 from the 'stop position of the parts in which position the card is analyzed and the stop pins set, or when the card is a total card, or there has been a change in designation, as the case may be, the total taking shaft is rocked, so that in either event the machine will be controlled for its next operation.

The pin basket is designated generally at 10 in each of the figures. The pins are set under control of cards which are fed by means well known into a registration passage 11 formed by plates 12 and 13 immovably mounted on the frame of the machine; Near the end of each cycle of operation, a sensing or analyzingpin assembly 14 is raised by a cam 15 on the main shaft 16. Spring pressed pins 1'7 in the pin assembly 16 are moved against the card as the pin assembly is raised and those that find holes travel upwardly with the pin assembly 14 and raise rods 18 thereby elevating corresponding pin stops 19 in'the pin basket 10. The information in the card is now set up in the pin basket 10. As a pin stop 19 is raised, it causes lowering of a zero stop 20 associated with the row of stops in which the stop pin is raised. If no stop pin is raised, the zero stop will remain in raised position. The construction of the pin basket will be described later.

stops 19 or if no pin stop in any of the rows is raised they will bear against their respective zero stops. The'type carriers are moved forward by springs 23 stretched between them and a bail 2d as the bail is moved forward by the usual means (not shown). As they move forward they carry the adding racks 21 with them until their heels 25 abut the raised pins stops unless they are arrested in their zero position by the zero stops. In this manner the adding racks and type carriers move distances represented by the perforations in the card. It is to be understood that the totalizer 26 which in this type of machine is engaged with the racks when the adding portion of the machine is in the position shown must be disengaged before the racks move forward.

After all of the racks and type carriers have been set, an impression is taken, by means not shown, on paper 27 passed about an impression roll 28 from a paper supply roll 29.

After the impression has been taken, the totalizer is engaged with the adding racks and the adding racks are returned to zero position by the bail 24 as the bail is restored. If transfers are to be made into certain totalizer wheels their racks will move one step beyond zero to put an additional unit in the wheel. This transfer operation is controlled by the usual transfer means.

The description so far is merely general as it applies to any machine of this general type.

In machines of -this type provision is made for automatically printing the. amount accumulated on the totalizer. This means comprises a total taking shaft 30 which-may be operated by a key 31 acting on an arm 32 secured to the shaft or automatically under control of a total card or change in designation means as is well understood in the art.

In the machine illustrated,.this mechanism is controlled by a card and is substantially the same as in the patents referred to. This mechanism comprises a total pin 33 (only part of which is shown) which is mounted in the pin assembly 14 and travels with it. When a total card'is in the registration passage 11, the pin will be controlled to rock a link 34 to present a lug on its free end in line with a lug 35 on a bell crank 36. In all other cases these lugs will be out of alinement.

The link 34 is supported on one arm of a bell crank 37 the other arm of which carries a roller operating ina cam 38 on the main shaft 16. As the cam 38 rotates clockwise to its stop position, it will rock the lever counter-clockwise and move the link 34 to the left. This movement will, when a total card is in the registration passage, rock the bell crank 36 and through a link 39 connected to an arm 40 secured to the total shaft 30, rock this shaft and control the machine to take a total; Secured to the total'shaft 30 is an arm 40 provided with a pin for rocking a bell crank lever 40.

The rocking of the bell crank lever 40 controls the engaging of the totalizer for total taking operations by meanswell known such as shown in the Powers patent referred to, and through a link 41 connected to the bell crank rocks a zero throw-out shaft- ,42 for lowering all of the zero stops 20 into ineffective position to permit the adding racks 21 to roll the amount off the totalizer and set the type carriers 22 to print the amount accumulated.

The mechanism so far described is old and well known and the invention involves structural changes and provisions now to be set forth.

The pin basket comprises a rectangular open frame 43 which is suitably secured in the machine below the set of actuators. On the top of the frame is a.pin stop guide plate 44.. and on the resting on the top guide plate 44 and projecting under a shoulder 47 on the pin stop of next higher value. By this construction the pin stops are held against removal downwardly and are held against removal upwardly, and transfer motion to higher value pin stops whenever they are raised in the'manner previously set forth.

The nine pin is not a pin stop and its function is merely to lower the zero stop when it is raised or any other stop of lower value is raised. For this purpose it is mounted on a lever 48 on which the zero stop 20 is formed.

All of these levers are provided with rectangular holes 49 loosely receiving a rectangular bar supported in brackets 50 resting on the upper guide plate 44 and secured by screws 51 extending through theguide plate into the frame 43.

A single nine stop 52 is provided to arrest the adding racks and type carriers in the nine position. This stop is formed on a plate 53 bearing against the rear of the frame 43 and resting on a rearwardly extending projection 54 thereof, and is provided with ears 55 bearing against side of 105 the frame 42 and secured thereto by screws 56, passing through slots in the ears for purposes of adjustment. This stop 52 stands above the ends of the pins 19 of highest value and prevents the latter from falling out when the pin box is in- 110 verted or from being inadvertently lifted out; and the shoulders described prevent the other pins 19 from falling out.

The forward end of the lever 48 is provided with an extension 5'7 the lower edge of which is 115 provided with a spring retaining projection 58 holding one end of a spring 59 seated in a hole 60 in a bar 61 secured to the frame 43 by screws 62 passing through slots in the bar for purposes the raised pin is free to return, the spring 58 will furnish the power to swing the lever 48 and 128 to return all of the raised pins and the raised rods 18. This eliminiates theme of a grid such as shown in the patent to Powers referred to for returning the pins and rods.

The zero throw-out shaft 42 has rigidly secured 130 thereto arms 63 supporting a rod 64 extending over the extension 57 of all of the levers 48. When the total shaft 30 is rocked manually or automatically as described, the rod 64 is lowered and the zero stops 20 are lowered to free the racks and type carriers for adjustment under control of the totalizer. When the rod 64 is raised, the springs 58 return the zero stops 20 to normal raised position.

It is to be understood that there may be a 0 plurality of pin baskets in one machine and that the rod 64 may extend over and simultaneously depress all of the zero stops of all of the pin baskets.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a series of value pins for controlling the diiferential movement of a member, and a connection between lower value and higher value pins for raising the higher value pins by raising lower value pins, a zero stop, and a connection between the highest value pin and said zero stop for lowering the latter by raising any one of said pins.

2. In a pin basket construction, a zero stop, a plurality of value pins, and a single spring acting in the direction of movement of the zero stop for'restoring said zero stop and value pins to home position.

3. In a pin basket construction, a row of value pins, means whereby a pin of lower value may elevate a pin of higher value, and a zero stop carrying member extending along the side of said pins and pivoted for vertical movement in a plane parallel to said pins, and an operative connection between the highest value pin and the zero stop carrying member.

4. In a pin basket construction, spaced rows of value pins, zero stop levers of the first order pivoted for vertical movement in the space between said rows of pins and of a thickness to be guided by adjacent rows of pins and a common pivot bar for said levers inserted between adjacent pins.

5. In a pin basket construction, spaced rows of value pins, zero stop levers of the first order pivoted for vertical movement in' the space between said pins and of a thickness to be guided by adjacent rows of pins, a common pivot bar for said levers inserted between adjacent pins, and means whereby any value pin may rock the lever associated with its row.

6. In a pin basket construction, a pivoted zero stop carrying member, a series of value pins, an operative connection between the zero stop carrying member and the highest value pin, and a connection between the highest value pin and lower value pins for raising the former by raising the latter and for restoring the former by restoring the latter.

7E The combination of a series of value pins, a shoulder on each lower value pin extending toward the adjacent higher value pin, and a shoulder on each higher value pin extending toward the next adjacent lower value pin and resting on its shoulder.

8. The combination of a series of value pins, a guide plate for saidpins, a shoulder on each lower value pin contacting with said guide plate and extending toward the adjacenthigher value pin, and a shoulder on each higher alue pin extending toward the next adjacent'lower value pin and resting on its shoulder.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, a series of value pins, a connection between lower value and higher value pins for raising the higher value pins by raising any lower value pin, and means preventing removal of the highest value pin from the basket, said connections then preventing removal of pins of lower value.

10. In a pin basket construction, two rows of value pins, and a zero stop carrying member lying between said rows of pins and pivoted for vertical movement in a plane parallel to said pins, and guided by the adjacent rows of pins.

11. In a pin basket construction, the combination of zero stop levers of the first order pivoted for vertical movement in the spaces between the the rows of stop pins and of a thickness to be guided by adjacent rows of pins, and a common pivot for said levers inserted between adjacent pins.

WILLIAM W. LASKER. 

